Tuesday, April 9, 2013

TSA Travel Tips Tuesday – Can You Fly Without an ID?

Click to See Acceptable IDs

Did
the gnome that steals your socks and car keys run off with your ID? Did your
license expire and you don’t have time to renew it before you travel? Did you
lose your wallet? Did you simply forget your ID at home? While it is much
easier to go through screening with the proper identification, you’re not going
to cause a snafu if you don’t have it.

If
you’re 17 or younger, no problem… you don’t need ID to travel. If you’re 18 or
older, no worries… you can still travel.

How
so? Simply approach the travel document checker and let them know that you
don’t have your ID. At this point, you will be asked a simple randomly computer
generated question such as: “What is the average annual rainfall in the Amazon
basin?”

Seriously
though… You’ll be able to fly as long as you provide us with some information
that will help us determine you are who you say you are.

If
you’re willing to provide some additional information, we have other means of
substantiating your identity, such as using publicly available databases. If we
can confirm your identity, you’ll be cleared to go through security, and you
may or may not have to go through some additional screening.

If
we can’t confirm your identity with the information you provide or you’re not
willing to provide us with the information to help us make a determination, you
may not be able to fly. Regardless, if you do not have ID, please allow extra
time for check in. We would not want you to miss you flight.

In United States v. Deborah Davis, the prosecutor dropped the charges because the courts have consistently ruled that one is required to present ID only at the request of law enforcement officers performing a criminal investigation.

Are TSA agents law enforcement officers? Are TSA agents performing a criminal investigation?

If a 19 year-old college student can get a fake ID to drink, why couldn't a terrorist get one too?

Why do we need ID at all to fly? As long as passengers are properly screened, who cares who is on a flight? They wouldn't have any dangerous items on them if they are properly screened. The person checking ID's at the checkpoint isn't checking against the no fly list since that is done when the ticket is bought. The ID check could be eliminated which would allow that person to help screen passengers or just eliminate the position to save money.

Also, I have witnessed ID's being checked at the boarding gate. The TSA wasn't randomly screening baggage, they were just checking ID's. What is the point of that? It just seems like a waste of resources.

Okay, TSA. You have had more than enough time and more than enough prodding to create a blog entry about the public comment process on AIT. Where is it? Are you trying to circumvent the intent of the court order by refusing to notify the public about it even through a means as simple and as reasonable as a blog entry?

What I need to know is can you pack a lunch and bring it on the plane. I haven't traveled on a plane for quite some time. Someone told me you can pack a lunch of a sandwich,chips,and a 5 oz of water. Can you help me with with question. My husband and I are traveling come Sunday.

EVERYONE HERE has lost their mind who says they do not need to check ID. ANYONE can print out (if they have your password for airline website) or steal your boarding pass (when you drop it etc) and then have a free trip! Apparently no one thinks of that. HUH?

"ANYONE can print out (if they have your password for airline website) or steal your boarding pass (when you drop it etc) and then have a free trip! Apparently no one thinks of that. HUH?"

Actually, I HAVE given that thought and, well, it has NOTHING to do with preventing a terrorist attack on aviation. If the AIRLINES wish to use ID to prevemt one passenger from stealing another's boarding pass, that's one thing. But when it's the government doing it for no good reason (even TSORon has said the TSA wants to keep dangerous items off of planes, not people), then it stomps all over our right to travel freely within our own borders, which is a basic human right, BTW, and isn't merely a Constitutional issue.

"EVERYONE HERE has lost their mind who says they do not need to check ID. ANYONE can print out (if they have your password for airline website) or steal your boarding pass (when you drop it etc) and then have a free trip! Apparently no one thinks of that. HUH?"

Neither of those situations has anything to do with air travel security, or is any concern of TSA's.

Anonymous said... EVERYONE HERE has lost their mind who says they do not need to check ID. ANYONE can print out (if they have your password for airline website) or steal your boarding pass (when you drop it etc) and then have a free trip! Apparently no one thinks of that. HUH?-----------------------------

This wouldn't be a TSA issue though. The TSA's mission is keep harmful items off of a plane so it can't be destroyed or crashed into a building. The issues you are describing are for law enforcement to deal with.

I could care less if a thief, drug dealer, or even a terrorist is next to me on a plane. As long as they have been screened properly and have no bombs on them, who cares who is on the plane. The TSA is not law enforcement, although they like to brag when they find things that aren't a threat to the plane such as pot.

Anonymous said... "What I need to know is can you pack a lunch and bring it on the plane. I haven't traveled on a plane for quite some time. Someone told me you can pack a lunch of a sandwich,chips,and a 5 oz of water. Can you help me with with question. My husband and I are traveling come Sunday."

Yes you may bring food with you. However, any liquids must be 3.4oz or less to go through the security check point. So get drinks once you pass through security not before. for more info go to www.tsa.gov

Bob, what happens if we have an ID that's acceptable according to the TSA's SOP, but the clerk checking the IDs is so lazy that during the training he didn't pay attention to the list of IDs. If we report a clerk like that, will he be fired? It does seem that if a clerk's only job is to check IDs, and he's too lazy to pay attention to which IDs are acceptable, any salary that is paid to him is wasted.

Why does an expiration date on ID matter since for TSA purposes the expiration date has no meaning. Second since ID has bearing on security why it's TSA squandering our tax dollars on this useless exercise.

I have a suggestion for a future Tuesday post...make sure explain the "enhanced patdown" procedure that American families may be subject to in private screening rooms. Stop wasting taxpayer money with these silly posts that do not address any "real" taxpayer concern. If you feel the need to repeat messages over and over, start with the TSA staff.

Yes, I never understood this thing with asking for an ID. That serves no purpose, and has nothing to do with the mission of TSA. If you want to check out a boarding pass, then do that, but an ID?! Not necessary and pointless.

And stop tossing confiscated bottles of water into large garbage containers in the middle of the passenger checkpoint area. Geez, it is all explosive material, isn't it?

My father was an executive at a major airline and told me in the 90's they were lobbying the federal government to require ID check. This predated 9/11 and the horrible accident off Long Island. The reason for this was to prevent frequent flyer account fraud and ticket resale. All the airlines wanted it but none wanted to be the first out of fear of losing customers. The federal government had little interest at the time in enforcing this. As pointed out above it was constitutionally questionable to implement. There was nothing stopping the airline from requiring this at boarding so why should the government step in? After the accident off Long Island the government reluctantly required it out of security concerns for an accident that probably was not terrorism related. The airlines had to enforce this when the boarding pass was printed, either at the ticket counter or the gate. There were no self serve kiosks then. After 9/11 the government made the screeners do it and banned non ticketed/non employees from the sterile side of the airport. I doubt this will ever change and can accept an ID check as part of TSA Pre Check, an optional program. Let's not kid ourselves though that 99.999% of what keeps this in place is inertia and security as an excuse by the airlines to charge change fees. The constitutional question is why technically it is possible to fly without ID as pointed out in this post. Like say a friend might be able to fly on my miles and be able to "verify" my identity.

Still waiting for Bobby to make a public comment on the San Francisco TSA personnel who (in violation of TSA policy) denied a man his medically necessary liquids, after deciding that they knew the man's medical needs better than his own doctor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjNh8dZ5Y0g

Come on, Bobby. It's in the news. The questions are simple: why do TSA employees feel qualified to override official agency policy and the medical opinions of licensed medical professionals? What medical training does the TSA provide that would make its personnel feel qualified to make such medical determinations?

Or maybe the TSA's PR team just prefers to ignore issues where it's obvious that the TSA can't blame the victim of its misconduct? Look the other way, and maybe it will go away?

"What do recommend when the TSA's document checker is unaware of all fifty states in the union and rejects your ID?"

I always show my passport or lately my Global Entry card. In the early days of TSA I had a document checker look at my DL and told me it was fake (if I said where post gets sent to delete-o-meter). My state expires the DL on your 65th birthday and I was in my mid 30's at the time. Document checker insisted it was fake because it expires in the mid 2030's. I decided afterward I'd rather use my passport instead of get attitude back from TSA and they don't need to know where I live either. Not that they'd remember but given what is always in the news with TSA I decided it is just better this way. Then again I have that option, not everyone does as a passport or TSA Pre Check/Global Entry are quite expensive.

Anonymous said..."If TSA had an Airline, then maybe they could say: "You Fly Without an ID". In fact TSA can only tell you what you need to get through security.

"Check with the airline and not with Bob."

Why? The ID requirement is a government requirement, not an airline one, which is what makes it Constitutionally questionable. Granted, the airlines LIKE this requirement, but it's still the government requiring it, even when TSO's such as TSORon agree that identity doesn't matter.

I'm curious why a Firearms Owner Identication (FOID) card issued by the IL State police is not an acceptable photo ID? It is a state ID, with photo, expiration date, and requires a background check to obtain.

Complete bull. When I flew out of my home airport they didn't question my ID. When I flew out of a major airline hub in the rocky mountains the TSO challenged my ID since in the ID I did not have glasses on but I was where glasses when I flew. They where rimless and recent Rx. Then she "guessed" that I could be let through and that it was me and that I could go through to the metal detector "this time."

My daughter lost her wallet the day before a flight from JFK to Seattle -- today, right now. I found this weblog post and read it to her, and she followed the instructions here. She's now at JFK going through hell, talking to TSA agents who seem to have never heard about this official policy, who keep sending her to new places where she has to explain all over again. She has no wallet, no ID, no credit cards, nothing, and is likely now to miss her flight. It's 7 am on a Sunday morning and there's nobody to call and no way to get any support. So while this website is a good idea, in practical terms, it helps not one whit. Who knows when this comment will even be read and/or approved?

I have a ticket to fly home from New Jersey to California next thursday, but have lost my wallet and passport. I can not replace my California Driver's license from out of state, and also can not schedule an appointment to replace my passport in New York without a ticket for international travel within the next seven days. (let alone the problems of replacing my passport without photo ID). Knowing ahead of time that I will not have a photo ID to bring to the airport, or most other wallet items like credit cards. What should I bring to security so that I will be cleared? I have bank issued checks with my name on it, some old tax files, other third part documents with my name, my passport number, drivers license number, copy of my birth certificate and social security number but nothing with both a photo and a name outside of facebook. Can you please be specific as to what the screening process will be, and whether or not I will be able to fly? How much time to I need to allocate for extra screening?

I am traveling to New York at the end of Feb, and just realized that my CA driver's license/ID is about to expire a week before my trip. If I can't get my replacement in time, will I be able to use my expired Driver's License/ID to get through security?

Jon Breen asked - "I am traveling to New York at the end of Feb, and just realized that my CA driver's license/ID is about to expire a week before my trip. If I can't get my replacement in time, will I be able to use my expired Driver's License/ID to get through security?

Thanks,

Jon"

Take the expired ID with you Jon, and if there is some problem with verifying the ID for clearing into the checkpoint, there is a process in place to help you get through. You can also contact the the airport directly through the Talk To TSA page here:

https://apps.tsa.dhs.gov/talktotsa/

After communicating directly with them, they should be able to give you the best advice on how to proceed at that specific location.

I have almost the same situation as the person before, the issue is that ALL my IDs expire one week before my flight on 02.12.2014. This is due to me having a EAD document whose renewal is still in process and should be here no later than the end of Feb. The only doc I have is a Mexican Passport with no Visa. I'm afraid that I won't be able to fly since this is a job requirement for certification and of course I don't want to miss it.

TSA actually neglected to provide my drivers license back to me when traveling out of state a few weeks ago. On my return flight, I was allowed to fly by showing my car insurance ID and/or car registration, which was a great relief to me.

Two weeks later, I received my drivers license in the mail, which was returned to me by TSA!

I am travelling to California after 3 days but I don't have any id as I have aaplied for shengen visa and my passport are with them. My question is can I fly by showing them my passport photocopy, or my insurance details ??

Couple of things: 1) About two thirds of the way down the replies to this post I saw a customer post an issue happening now and a fairly prompt reply from the TSA Blog Team - I was impressed that they engaged directly. I'm not sure I've seen that level of customer service from other agencies before.

(and)

2) I'm glad they are trying to address a worst case scenario for travelers like loosing your wallet. I'm a little surprised about the fleet of comments complaining about having to show ID in the first place. It's not any different from getting in your car and driving to another state - you still need your license. This is the same type of argument that tends to back up the line at the airport every other time I go through it.

Dear tsa, I have just realized that I have lost my picture drivers license while visiting my mother in Texas. I only brought with me my license, which I lost and my non picture debit card. I fly out tomorrow and willing to provide any information to tsa agents but might not be able to get a copy of a picture I'd. Please help. I need to get back to work tomorrow. Your prompt reply is much appreciated.

March 20 commenter (TSAnonymous?) - an American is not required an ID to be a passenger in any vehicle...except a commercial airplane, only according to the TSA.

Regarding the quickness of West's reply, it took two days, which may be understandable, but he ignored many other comments.

Also, ironically, West, a government employee, told the American citizen, "Take the expired ID with you Jon, and if there is some problem with verifying the ID for clearing into the checkpoint, there is a process in place to help you get through."

This is NOT what occurred when Sherry Wright went to the airport with an expired ID. It appears that if one is a disabled woman minority, any attempt to satisfy a screener on a power trip is futile.

My daughter turned 18 and is a senior in high school. We are so busy with prepping for college we haven't gotten her a Govt ID yet. On top of that we recently moved and I cant find her passport or birth cert to use as a substitute. She is flying by herself in a week (domestic). Will TSA allow her on the plane and the same for the return flight? She has a student ID.

My son is 18 and a Senior in High School here in NY (leaving out of JFK)and we will be traveling to Fort Lauderdale later this month to celebrate my daughter's 30th birthday. He has his High School photo ID, birth certificate but lost his social security card. What else do I need to provide so that we can make our flight to and from. Thanks

My son and I will be traveling later this month form JFK to Ft. Lauderdale. He is 18 and a senior in High School and has his school photo ID as well as his birth certificate. He lost his social security card and I am working to get it replaced. What else do I need to bring with us so that he can board the plane in NY and get back to NY when we leave Ft. Lauderdale. Thanks

Anon sez - "My daughter turned 18 and is a senior in high school. We are so busy with prepping for college we haven't gotten her a Govt ID yet. On top of that we recently moved and I cant find her passport or birth cert to use as a substitute. She is flying by herself in a week (domestic). Will TSA allow her on the plane and the same for the return flight? She has a student ID."

I hope I am not too late responding, I missed this question before! Have her bring the High School ID with her, and if there are questions, there is a process that we can use in order to process her through. It will take an additional 10 minutes or so to complete, so please make sure she is there a bit earlier than usual.

Anon sez - "My son and I will be traveling later this month form JFK to Ft. Lauderdale. He is 18 and a senior in High School and has his school photo ID as well as his birth certificate. He lost his social security card and I am working to get it replaced. What else do I need to bring with us so that he can board the plane in NY and get back to NY when we leave Ft. Lauderdale. Thanks"

Hiya Anon, sorry to be a bit late on responding to this one as well. Bring the birth certificate and school ID, and if there are any questions, there is a process we can use to get him through - again, it takes about 10 minutes or so to complete, so please make sure you are there a bit earlier than usual. Thanks!

Anon also sez - "I have a 13 year old that looks older than his age - he'll be traveling to a national junior leadership training in June. Do I need to take any documentation to get him thru TSA?"

13 year olds are minors, and as such, no ID is required for them. I hope you guys all have fantastic trips!

I continue to wait for some justification for active duty military being included in pre-check, but not retired military or holders of current DoD or LE background investigations. military retirees have at least 20 years documented service to this Nation, pretty much proving their lack of risk. both DoD and LE background investigations should reveal any risk factors. active duty military do not, necessarily, have a background check or any significant length of service. neither citizenship nor a background investigation is required to enlist in the military, in fact there are likely illegal immigrants serving. if it is really about safety, then why are potentially unscreened non-citizens allowed through? sounds like it is just pandering to an admirable group to get PR, not adjusting the rules to ease screening on those who present a lower likelihood of threat.Let me be clear: pre-911 screening should be the norm. it is all that is required, now that cockpit doors have been reinforced and locked, and flight crews and passengers know that the rules have changed and passivity=death. however, if we are going to continue this massive waste of tax dollars on security theatre, at least have _some_ of the rules make sense. in addition, I will reiterate several of the correct comments from others: 1) the Constitution and substantial court precedent make it clear that Americans are only required to show ID to a LEO conducting a criminal investigation. there is no authority in the Constitution or in public law for TSA or any non-LEO agency to require (or even request) ID pursuant to a purely administrative search (which definition is the only thing that makes TSA searches Constitutional). 2) the federal government does not need to know when, where, or whether a legal resident travels domestically, and is afforded no authority to know, except in performing a criminal investigation. it should stop now.

This entire piece is about there being NO REQUIREMENT to have a government-issued photo ID to fly on American commercial flights. Yet the comments posted here strongly suggest that TSA agents across the country have NO knowledge of this.

But more to the point, why would ANY ID be needed at ANY TIME. The supposed point of all this nonsense to to ensure that a passenger is not a threat on the flight, specifically that they are not bringing a weapon aboard (like a bottle of water or a disabled hand grenade or the empty cylinder of a revolver.

The screening that you are subjected to at the checkpoint does NOT rely on your identify--it is a physical screening involving X-ray machines, body scanners, the dismantlement of wheelchairs and the removal and searching of prosthetic devices like artificial arms and legs, colostomy bags and other dangerous weapons, and frisking by TSA agents.

Eliminating the identify card nonsense would streamline the process quite a bit at airports.

I wouldn't care if Osama bin Laden had shown up a an aiport without an ID, he should have been permitted to get on a plane if he passed through the physical screening devices without alarm.

The purpose of that screening is to render defenseless everyone on the plane Looking at IDs in order to get on a plane achieves nothing.

My 24 yr old son recently got a new passport. He was issued a passport at age 15 which expired when he was 20. His old passport had his first name, middle initial and last name. On his new passport he was told he needed to use his full middle name. The problem is that we are traveling internationally within the month, and it was a very large group booked through AAA months ago. At the time of booking, i gave our agent the name on his expired passport (with middle initial only). Will this be a problem at security since his documents arent consistent with the middle initial/name?? When i called the agent to let her know the name was different, she poohpoohed it and said it wont be a problem, but i have my doubts.

I'm in the US illegally and have no identification. Also, I am really new here and have no paper trail. How is it possible TSA would let me fly from say, a border state to anyplace I want? Gracias, in advance.

Apparently illegals are allowed to fly by simply showing a "Notice to Appear" form. Without a photo there is no way to connect between a specific person and the form which lacks security features anyway and can be duplicated or faked... Such incompetence...

Hello Bob, I'm 14 and am staying at an academic summer camp in Lancaster, PA. I need to fly back home to LA on Friday, but I've lost my wallet, which had the only picture ID on me. I have to go through Harrisburg Airport. What should I do?

Anon sez - "Hello Bob, I'm 14 and am staying at an academic summer camp in Lancaster, PA. I need to fly back home to LA on Friday, but I've lost my wallet, which had the only picture ID on me. I have to go through Harrisburg Airport. What should I do?"

Hello Anon, if there are any questions about you flying, there is a process that can be used to verify who you are, it normally takes about 10 minutes or so. At your age, will you be flying on your own or will the airline be taking you under their wing (HA!) as a designated "unaccompanied minor"? If you are flying as a designated UAM, that will take care of most of the problems you might have finding the right checkpoint area and gate locations. Considering that you are under the age of 18, there should be very little challenge for you getting into the checkpoint and getting through. I hope you learned some interesting things at camp, and hopefully we will see you soon. Take care.

Hello, my fiancé had his wallet lost/stolen last night while visiting Utah. We are flying very early tomorrow to California (we are mid trip and actually live in NYC). He filed a police report and a has a photo copy of his ID. All of his credit/debit cards, insurance card, and ID were in the wallet so he doesn't have anything but this photo copy. When we get to Cali we can have another form of ID fedexed to us but will he have a huge issue when trying to fly out of Utah?

supposed to fly from nyc area to houston on/around 8/25/14 until 9/2/14 for work purposes. through my fault (exp/rev driver's lic.) may not have state issued ID in time. I do have a picture ID through work and also picture ID through a Fire District(taxpayer funded. Thank you for any info.

Thank you so much for the reply to this question,. I also have a recently graduated 18-year old and just realized we will need ID for her.She does not yet have a driver's license but does have her old high school ID. It's complicated as she was adopted and is a different race. We will be traveling with two of my other children as well. Do you think well be okay or do I need to scramble to try to get her a learners permit before we go?

>> who cares WHO you are?Airlines care: they don't like ticket scalping / trading, etc. Tickets are supposedly issued after no fly lists, etc, so the TSA attempts to make sure you've got valid tickets.

>> gate ID checkGate I.D. checks are for international travel, this article is about domestic travel.

The implied powers clause article one section 8 To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof."

Hello.. I am planning to travel from Fort Lauderdale to New Orleans on Monday and my only form of I.D. Is an expired U.S. Passport (expired in June). I planned on going to get an ID card this weekend, but was unaware the DMV offices in my county are closed on weekends. Will I be allowed to board with an expired passport as identification since I am traveling domestically? Thanks!

I use to be tsa pre clear through my frequent flyer program, and after i changed my frequent flyer account to reflect my married name, my ticket does not print out tsa precheck and i have to use the standard security line everytime (although the preclear info is listed in my frequent flyer account) and the airline can't help, says its TSA.

I.d. provides a useful tool for law enforcement in tracking people who are under investigation and/or who are trying to make a speedy getaway from prosecution. will a tsa i.d check stop someone from detonating a bomb on a plane. No. but let me ask this. Do you people who furiously protest a simple i.d check have a reason why you need to hide? If so...you can always drive your own vehicle or rent a car; oh w8 they require i.d for that also. why aren't you complaining about that?

For everyone saying "why does it matter who you are?!" it's for the fact that if the plane goes down....they need to be able to identify who you are. it's the same reason you're supposed to sit in your assigned seat. Just throwin' it out there.

I flew in September with an valid, but expired, CA driver's license. I asked if this was an authentic CA license and they said yes. I ask if it proves that I am who I say I am, they said yes. Yet they still searched me.

Their blog and website says they need to ask me for information to verify my identity...I understand, that's the point. Why was I patted down and searched? I was given verbal affirmation that my identity was confirmed; that I was who my ID indicated.

Hi my name is Blake, I am a college student preparing to fly from JFK to LAX, the problem is that my government ID is expired and, being a Maryland resident, I do not have time to renew it. I was going to use my passport however I just applied for a visa with my school and they took it. I have a student ID, can get my birth certificate and/or social security card and also apply for a new ID and be given a temporary one until I am mailed my full one (I would have to have it mailed to my residence in Maryland and then to my school in New York so I wouldn't have it in time) is there anyway I can be sure that I will still be able to fly? What would be the process for screening me so that I can make sure I do everything I can to be assured I am able to fly?

Hi my name is Blake, I am a college student preparing to fly from JFK to LAX, the problem is that my government ID is expired and, being a Maryland resident, I do not have time to renew it. I was going to use my passport however I just applied for a visa with my school and they took it. I have a student ID, can get my birth certificate and/or social security card and also apply for a new ID and be given a temporary one until I am mailed my full one (I would have to have it mailed to my residence in Maryland and then to my school in New York so I wouldn't have it in time) is there anyway I can be sure that I will still be able to fly? What would be the process for screening me so that I can make sure I do everything I can to be assured I am able to fly?

For everyone saying "why does it matter who you are?!" it's for the fact that if the plane goes down....they need to be able to identify who you are. it's the same reason you're supposed to sit in your assigned seat. Just throwin' it out there.

Then the airlines can ask for ID instead of the TSA. There's a subtle but important (and Constitutional) difference in whether a company representative asks for identification or a government representative demands it. It also just slows down the security line.

I don't travel without ID, but I can imagine a scenario where it's been lost or stolen, and a poorly trained and under-educated TSA dial tone of a human being makes my life difficult because they can.

It's situations like this that make me avoid flying at all costs. I do teleconferences instead of face-to-face for business, and for domestic pleasure travel I try to drive.

The only way we get our rights back, is if we vote with our wallets. I encourage you to do the same. Besides, the journey is often better than the destination.

I lost my MI picture drivers license this week and need to fly tomorrow AM. I just realized today that my passport is very expired - thought I had renewed and did not. Now I am concerned about getting through security tomorrow AM. I know from frequently flying that many airports apply the rules differently. Some good advice here about getting through with alternate identification methods. But what can I do to escalate should I have issues at my local airport? Any advice on what specifically I should bring? I am at home and have access to all sorts of documents. Thank you!

Bringing wrapped food is fine, but you'll have to limit liquids to under 3oz. You could buy a larger bottle of water after passing through security if you'd like. I'm sorry you didn't get an answer in time for that Sunday flight. Better late than never?

I see a lot of ranting here. I'm just a traveler and have no interest in defending TSA or whoever's policy. But consider this.

To error is human. Some these blog items mention TSA staff screw-ups. Suppose there was some security lapse resulting in a lost flight. And suppose ID requirements had been dropped, and none of the passenger identities were known. Wouldn't almost everyone want an in-depth investigation? How could any investigation be conducted?

Hi Bob I'll be traveling to Nebraska from California at the end of the month. I'm over 18 and don't have any form of ID. I Just went to get an ID but it may not arrive in time for the flight. What kind of questions will I expect to have to answer if I show up with no ID.

When I last flew on May 3,I was informed my Wash St. ID was expired so was invalid and could not fly for that reason, but had been fine on two previous flights(also expired). I was then told since I had "attempted" to fly using an invalid ID I would now have to show a federally issued ID. Apparently, neither of my Veteran's ID cards are issued by the federal govt. so he refused them with a smirk. Really appeared to be full of himself. Pissed him off when I showed him my passport and he still didn't want to let me pass. You can create bullies by putting a uniform on them and giving them a bit of authority.

My friend is going to be flying out of SFO on Monday but her wallet got stolen and the only thing she has with identification on it is a check book... who should she contact to make sure she can fly out?

Where did Bob from TSA go. I have a similar scenario as some of the recent posts but no one from TSA has responded. If my driver license is expired can it still be used as a form of ID for domestic flights?